Akali leader held with Rs 22-cr heroin

[lexifer]

Mon, Mar 24 01:48 AM
In a major embarrassment to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (B), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday arrested a Youth Akali Dal leader with 22 kg of heroin worth Rs 22 crore in the international black market. The heroin, said the DRI officials, was to be smuggled to Canada from Rajasansi International Airport and was concealed in carbon paper wraps to avoid x-ray detection at the airport.
Dheeraj Rastogi, DRI Joint Director, said they had laid a trap and intercepted a vehicle at Mirankot Chowk on late Saturday night and Jalandhar-based Purshotam Sondhi, 39, general secretary of Youth Akali Dal's Jalandhar wing and president of Balmiki Sabha of Jalandhar, was arrested. His associate, Bittu Atwal, a resident of Sunnypura, has also been arrested from Jalandhar, said Rastogi, adding that in the preliminary interrogation, Sondhi revealed that he was to receive a phone call after arriving at the parking area of the airport, where he had to deliver the contraband. "We are investigating the international network of smugglers," said officials.
On the other hand, OSD to CM Daljit Singh Cheema denied that he knew Purshotam Sondhi. "I do not think he is associated with the party," said Cheema.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpre...aaaedd4_1.html

[lexifer]

25 Mar 2008, 0503 hrs IST,Yudhvir Rana,TNN
AMRITSAR: Far from salvaging its tainted image of being a major transit point for drugs coming in from across the borders, Punjab now stands to lose face in Canada and US for its people allegedly running drug syndicates there.

Even as the state fails to prevent hundreds of youths from doing drugs, another blow comes with the revelation that Amritsar international airport is allegedly the heroin gateway for the West, with many debt-ridden Punjabi youths being drawn in to work as couriers.

Informing that Akali leader Parshotam Lal Sondhi, from whose possession 22 kg of heroin was recovered on Sunday, was being interrogated and it could as well reveal the involvement of other politicians, Dheeraj Rastogi, joint director, directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) said, "We can't rule out the possibility of Punjabi drug mafia of Canada behind smuggling rackets but kingpins often escape the clutches of law because they operate from Canada."

With the mafia there reportedly roping in young boys and girls to run the business, Rastogi informed, "Drug-peddlers in Canada often sell heroin in packets weighing one or two grams to drug addicts and make around Rs 2.5 crore per kilogramme."

Recalling the arrest of 22-year-old Gurwinder of Canada along with six kilogramme of heroin, Rastogi said, "The youth disclosed how the owner of a night club where he worked asked him to bring heroin from India if he wanted to pay back his debts."

Similarly, another person from Samrala was arrested with seven kilogramme of Heroine. "He had also confessed to smuggling from India under pressure since he had taken huge loans and didn't know how to repay them," added Rastogi.

Informing about Amritsar airport becoming the preferred route to sneak out drugs and how security staff there was only more concerned about checking for arms and ammunition, Rastogi suggested, "Sufficient number of sniffer dogs and better equipment like ion-scanners to detect narcotics are required at the airport."

Stating that there was huge demand for drugs in Canada, inspector general, border range, Rajpal Meena said, "Earlier also NRIs and airlines staff have been found to be involved in smuggling and, therefore, we have a surveillance system at the airport to check smuggling."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/C...ow/2896691.cms

Swim found an article related to the previous one he posted on the Akali leader's heroin possession charge, so he figured it can't hurt to post it.